Hosiery knitting machine and method



Fla 1.

No v. 2, 1954 Filed April 10, 1951 G. R. MARLETTE ETA L HOSIERY KNITTING MACHINE AND METHOD '5 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS:

ATTORNEYS.

vNov- 1954 G. R. MARLETTE ETAL 2,693,094

HOSIERY KNITTING MACHINE AND METHOD Filed April 10, 1951 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG; 4

Elli ATTORNEYS.

Nov. 2, 1954 s. R. MARLETTE ET AL HOSIERY KNITTING MACHINE AND METHOD Filed April 10, 1951 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 A TTORNEYS.

"tion by' -rec1procatory or t pletion of thedesign areas.

2,6935094' HQSIERY; GLMAGHINE: EFMETHOD;

This invention relates to-hosiery knitting machines and methods. More specifically,-'it is concerned with circular United States Patent ()fi knitting machines-of the type-disclosed in -U.-S. Patent '#2,217,022 granted to R. Greenon'October -8, 1940,

I H; L'aWsonand Isaac H. .C. characterized by having =main and auxiliary knittingstations, =respeotively' with plural interchangeable yarn feeds and with' duplicate needle vselectingmechanisms; anddev'isedfor the commercial t production of fancy seamless stockings or socks with solid color-design areas oflargediamond or other-configuraoscillat'ory operation of the needle cylinders. Incident to the knitting o'f'- ornamented stockings or socks by such machines-dong floatsare created as a result of introduction and Withdrawahof contrastingly-colored yarns -atthe beginning 'and com- These floats= extendcrosswise of the interiors of-the tubular 'fabrics;-and--in subsequently finishing the stockings or "socks; must" be cut close to theinner face -of' the fabric."- 'In F'order 'to prevent'the cut float ends from reeving out ofthefabri'c when the: stockings or-soclcs are drawn-over the feet by theswearers, it has beennecessary heretoforeto tie said ends together by hand: This tying: consuming and necessitates the employment of specially skilled :help, 1 thereby' adding veryconsiderably to produc tion costs.

Thechief'a-imof our invention' is to obviat'ethe above or knotting is time mentioned drawbacks. This objective is realizedinpractice; through-provision of automatic means in connectionwith machines of the type referred to, suitable-for carrying out our new method of knitting whereby the yarns are incorporated-in the fabric in such' a way at the regions of withdrawal-that the float cut-,mare effectively anchored against the'possibility of subsequentpulling or reev-ing-out; As hereinafter more fully set forth, the purpose of our invention is achieved by starting and finishing-thedesign-areas orfigures with ends, 'aftei-being a fcwvneedles; feeding'the patterning yarn to these 'needles at one of the two knittingstations-without there knitting it, and causing said-needles to be actuated later at the-other knitting station so that-=a yarnfed at the later-station is knitted with the-patterning yarnby one or more of the'needles of the selected group in the initia'l a and: final'coursesof the design areas or figures.

Other objects and attendant advantages will appear from t the following --detailed description of the attached drawingsywhereinFigt -lshowsthetopplan viewof a circular: hosiery machine line 1 that of the Lawson -eta1. patent supra; modified in accordance with our invention for the practice of'our improved-method ofk'nitting.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view -showing the machine'in front elevation.-

Fig. -3 is a fragmentary view of the machine in end elevation; 'looking' as indicated by' the; angled arrows III-III in Fig; 2.

Figs-4 and 5 are diagrammaticviews of rthenneedles andthe knitting cams of the machinein 'lin'earfdevelopr ment, and respectively showingthe relative positions of the needlesv and the cams tduringntheforimation ofithe initiaLandterminal course-of .a. design'area in accordance with. our invention.

Figs.6 and 7 are fragmentary views'correspondingnto t 2,693,094 Patented Nov. 2N1 954 Fig.;8 i'sa perspective view of a fancy sock produced in'accordance with our invention.

Flg'. 9is .a. fragmentary'view of the fabric withinthe confines of the rectangle IX. in Fig; ;8 showing-the interloopment at the beginning of the'design area;'and' Fig. 10 is a fragmentary 'view of thetabric. within the confines of the-rectangle X inFig. 8 showing the inter.- loopment at the completion of the-designxarea. i

As in thepatentsupra'and' as illustrated in Figs. l-5, therbasic machine-includeslca needle cylinder 3 which, is supported fOIFOtalliOIL and-oscillation in a stationary bed 2. At auxiliary station'designatedA is aplurality of interchangeable yarn-feeds 8t) :and a set of knitting cams-comprising, as shown in. Figs.- 4 and' 5, a pairof stitch cams 54, 55,' a center cam '56," and an overlying guard or wing cam 57; The-stitch cams 54 and- 55 are mountedton a retractable block 51'(Fig. 2) which is slidable radially, of cylinder 3 on 'a plate 52 supported byfla fixed post 53; The block. 51- is retractable by means actuatedfrom a rotary-cam drum (not shown) on timingshaft 97"as in the-patent, theme of auxiliary stitch cams 54 and 155 being not required during rotary knitting'phases of ,the machine. At the main station M is a similar series of interchangeable yarn feeds 81; and also a set of knitting'camsrcomprising a pair of spaced stitch cams 63," 64; and a centercam 65. Selection ,of thefee'cls 80 at station A is effected, through individually'associated levers 108, Under a control of a drum 140, and the feedsS'I-at the station M similarly through levers 92 under control of..another drum 141. The drums 140 and 141 are centrally mounted respectively on transverse shafts 1124,: i? journaled in bearing brackets; 132. and: 1'27, 1133 1 at opposite SidSl-l0f needle cylinder.:3. Thronght-thermediumqof bevel gears 134, rand 136, 1137,, rotary motion is communicated to shafts 1524,-;:125 =fromga shaft" 44rwhichextends horizontally' across::the tbackrof thezmachine; and =WhiCh'r iS journaled adja'centvits. opposite ends :in rearward extensions'of ;the ;bracket-s-126,'-127.' Shaft-44- is continually driven and turned through-a, completerotation -f0r each oscillatory stroke of :thercylinden- 'Affixed to the -shaft 124 immediately beyond "opposite sides of drum are supplemental rotary cams" 270 and-275 whose functions are fully. described in therLa-Wson 'et al. patent; :At the station A, needles are-:selectedvin changing numbers for patterning 'under :control not the drum- 245 before they reach the auxiliary knitting cams during clockwise'oscillations of :the needle-cylinder, and "under control'lofa drum 301 during-counterclockwise oscillations of said cylinder. I Atstation M the drums 224 and Shilare similarly operated respectively' during counterclockwise and clockwiseoscillations for an-analogous purpose, During the patternwknitting, sthe drums'224, 245, 300' and'301 are intermittently =rotated by racking; means controlled from theitiming-mechanism of the machine, each of them through "a complete revolution 'ffOI" each pattern figure.

In adapting the machine 'for the purposes of "our invention, thestitchicams 54 and 55: at the auxiliary stae tion A aremountednintheir supporting block 51-with capacityfor independent withdrawal'radially of the neodle'scylinderio. .By meansv'of horizontal links 530'and 531-, outwardshank projections 54" and :55'of the "stitch cams 541'and-55:areconnected respectively to the bottom ends of levers: 532 and 533 'whichware fulcrumed o'n and independently shiftable zlongitudinally of 'a' transverselyarranged non-rotatingshaft OIiXOd 535. At'its opposite ends,-the?-rod 535 is securedcin blocks 536 and 537 screwed'tfast' to the tops of the bearing brackets '130, 132 at auxiliary station -A. .As shown in Figs. 1 and 2-, the levers 532 and 533 have-Thorizontal' finger projections 532 and 533' which are disposed outwardlyi'of the end cam disks274 and 271 of drums 270' and 275 on shaft 124,'and are-subjectztoactuation by cam proiections 538, 539 respectively 'aflixed to 'the exposed side fades of saidt-disk's. The springs indiea'tedr'at 540'and 541 'i11 Figs. :'1 and 3, tendutoflrge the levers i532kand 533' inwardly for :placement of theirfinger proiections 532' and 533' into the paths of the cam projections '538"and 539." Normallygtheilevers 532 and 533iare-held retracted by vertically-arrangedcontrol levers' 542 and 543 which tare-medially fulcrumed on bearing projections-545 and 546 affixed to the brackets 130 and 132. As best shown in Fig. 3, the control levers 542 and 543 are provided at their tops with hook portions which overreach and engage behind the finger portions 532 and 533 of levers 532 and 533. Adjustable in the lower ends of levers 542 and 543 are screws 547 and 548 which are engaged by horizontally disposed angular levers 549 and 550. These angular levers 549, 550 are swingable about studs at the tops of posts 551 and 552 upstanding from the bed 2 of the machine, and have finger projections 549, 550 in engagement with the peripheries of special disks 555 and 556 at the tops of the drums 301 and 245 of the needle selecting mechanism at the auxiliary station A. The disks 555 and 556 are respectively provided with single notches 557 and 558 into which the finger projections of the levers 549 and 550 enter at certain times as will be explained later. At other times .in a knitting cycle of the machine, it is necessary that actuation of the lever 533 from the drum 245 be prevented. Accordingly, for this purpose we have devised a lockout means including a bell crank lever 559 (Figs. 2 and 3) which is pivoted at 560 on bracket 132, with its upright extremity engaging the bottom end of lever 533. The horizontal extremity of bell crank lever 559 is connected by a drop link 561 to an extension 562 at the swinging end of lever 282, which is actuated, in turn, through a thrust rod 284 from the timing drum 96 on the main cam shaft 97 of the machine. It is to be understood that in accordance with our invention, the drums 2.24, 245, 3% and 301 are so set up as to determine selection of several needles, for example three, for the beginning and ending of each design area.

Operation Let it be assumed that the top T of the stocking in, Fig. 8 has been knitted to the course 508 by continual rotation of the cylinder 3 in the usual way from a gray yarn 510 (Fig. 9) fed from one of the main feeds 81 lowered in delivery position, with all of the needles actuated by the knitting cam 63 (Fig. 4) at station M, while the block 51 supporting the auxiliary knitting cams 54, 55 at station A is held retracted, and while the patterning controls are idle. In preparation for the knitting of the next fabric course 509 by the first oscillation of the needle cylinder 3 for patterning, cam block 51 is moved inward and drum 245 is picked to select three needles n n and n for elevation to yarn taking level at station A. At the same time, drum 301 is picked to advance the notch 557 in the top disk 555 for entry thereinto of the finger projection of lever 549 and thereby allow shifting of the lever S32 longitudinally of shaft 535 into the range of the cam piece 539 on cam disks 274 by the spring 540. By rotation of the shaft 124, cam piece 539 is brought into engagement with lever 549 to withdraw auxiliary stitch cam 54. Thus upon the first patterning oscillation of cylinder 3 in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 4, the butts of the three selected needles 11 n and n will follow the path indicated in dotted lines, over-riding auxiliary stitch cam 55 and by-passing retracted auxiliary stitch cam 54, and taking the black yarn 503' without knitting it. In continuing on, the needles n n and n will ride over main stitch cam 64 as in Fig. 4 and be depressed as in Fig. 6 with the remaining needles n to stitch drawing level by main stitch cam 63 after receiving a gray yarn 511 from a second feed 81 introduced at station M. Accordingly, the black patterning yarn 503' is knitted with the gray yarn 511 in plating relation by the three selected needles as at the loops 1 l and I (Fig. 9) in fabric course 509, yarn 510 having been withdrawn at the needle n At the beginning of the next or reverse oscillation of the cylinder 3, the drum 301 is picked to cause addition of another needle to the selected group, and also the notch 557 in the top disk thereof is advanced beyond the finger projection 549' of lever 549 for re-insertion of auxiliary stitch cam 54. Therefore, the selected needles will be actuated this time by auxiliary stitch cam 55 to knit the black yarn 503'. From then on, the machine will function in the manner disclosed in the Lawson et al. patent with attendant variant selection of needles as required for the patterning, with formation of interconnected selvage loops between the contrasting yarns at the boundary edges of the design area B, except at the knitting of the last design course as will be later explained. Of course, during the formation of the ornamental area B, the gray yarn S11 is introduced and withdrawn during each oscillation of cylinder 3, also as in the patent. As a consequence of interknitting of the black yarn 503' with the gray yarn 511 in the loops l 1 and l in course 509, the cut end E of the float of yarn 503' will be effectively anchored in the fabric against pulling out subsequently. The cut end E of the float of yarn 510 will be likewise effectively anchored in turn by virtue of its being locked in by the double loop I of yarns 503 and 511 at the point of reversal of the latter yarn in course 509.

At the beginning of the final patterning oscillation of the cylinder 3 for the formation of the last course 560 of the ornamental knitting, the notch 558 in the top disk 556 of drum 245 will be advanced by the last pick of said drum for entry thereinto of the finger end 550' of lever 550 which will thereby be actuated to withdraw auxiliary stitch cam 55. Under these conditions the butts of the same three needles n n and n which were used at the beginning of the patterning will follow the dotted line path in Fig. 5, i. e., overtravel auxiliary stitch cam 54, by-pass retracted auxiliary stitch cam 55 and take the black yarn 503' at station A without knitting it. But upon reaching station M, the needles n n and n will be depressed along with the remaining needles N by main stitch cam 64. However, this time, by reason of reversal of the yarn 510 at the needle n at station M as in Fig. 7, said yarn will be knitted with the yarn 503 on said needle with resultant formation of a double loop at 14 in Fig. 10. Accordingly at this time, the yarn 503 only will be knitted into single loops l and l by the needles 1: and n As the next course 561 of the fabric is knitted, the float end E of yarn 503 will be locked in the sinker wale loop at l and thus effectively held against pulling out; while the cut end B of yarn 510 will be securely anchored in the double loop I*.

It is of course to be understood that during the knitting of the design figure B as hereinbefore described, a similarly shaped figure of the same or of a different color is concurrently knitted at the back of the stocking by variant selection of patterning needles in the manner set forth in the Lawson et al. patent. Likewise, as in the reference, the patterning may be continued downward of the leg portion of the stocking as well as downward of the instep if desired. In any case, through our invention, the cut float ends of the yarns will be so anchored in the fabric as to resist subsequent displacement when the stocking is drawn over the foot by the wearer. The laborious and costly tying together of loose yarn ends. as was heretofore necessary, is thus entirely eliminated.

Our invention is of course not to be considered as limited to the precise details of construction and arrangement herein shown and described herein by way of example, since these are subject to variation within the scope of the broader of the appended claims, as will be readily understood by those schooled in the knitting arts. The expressions main and auxiliary in connection with the two knitting stations were used merely for convenience of distinction. It is therefore to be understood that the improved mechanism may be duplicated at the main station or installed at the latter instead of at the auxiliary station if desired or deemed advantageous.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:

1, In a circular knitting machine, an oscillatable needle cylinder; a main knitting station with stitch cam means, a pair of yarn feeds, and means for selectively inserting and withdrawing the feeds; an auxiliary station circumferentially spaced from the main station and provided with stitch cam means; a pattern yarn feed and means for inserting and withdrawing the pattern yarn feed during each oscillation; means for selecting and elevating varying numbers ofneedles before they reach the auxiliary station incident to successive oscillations of the cylinder in opposite directions to receive the patterning yarn; and means operative at the beginning of the first oscillation of the cylinder at the initiation of the patterning to retract the auxiliary stitch cam means and so prevent actuation of a group of selected needles to which the patterning yarn is fed at the auxiliary station so that said yarn is not knitted until later in said first oscillation together with a yarn fed to the selected and to others of the needles at the main station, through actuation of the needles by the main stitch cam means;

2. In a circular knitting machine, an oscillatable needle cylinder; a main knitting station with stitch means; a plurality of yarn feeds, and means for selectively inserting and withdrawing the individual feeds during each oscillation; an auxiliary station circumferentially spaced from the main station and provided with auxiliary stitch cam means, a pattern yarn feed and means for inserting and withdrawing the pattern yarn feed during each oscillation; means for selecting and elevating varying numbers of needles before they reach the auxiliary station incident to successive oscillations of the cylinder in opposite directions to receive the patterning yarn at the latter station; and means operative at the beginning of the last oscillation of the cylinder at the completion of the patterning to retract the auxiliary stitch cam means and so prevent actuation of the group of needles then selected and to which the patterning yarn is fed at the auxiliary station so that said yarn is not knitted until later in said last oscillation through actuation of said needles by the stitch cam means at the main station.

3. In a circular knitting machine, an oscillatable needle cylinder; a main knitting station with stitch cam means, a pair of yarn feeds, and means for selectively inserting and withdrawing the feeds; an auxiliary station circumferentially spaced from the main station and provided with auxiliary stitch cam means, a pattern yarn feed, and means for inserting and withdrawing the pattern yarn feed during each oscillation; means for selecting and elevating varying numbers of needles before they reach the auxiliary station incident to successive oscillations of the cylinder in opposite directions to receive the patterning yarn at the latter station; and means operative at the beginning of the first and last oscillations respectively of the needle cylinder at the initiation and completion of the patterning to retract the auxiliary stitch cam means and so prevent actuation of the group of needles then selected and to which the patterning yarn is fed at the auxiliary station, so that said yarn is not knitted until later in said respective oscillations at the main station by actuation of said selected needles by the stitch cam means at the latter station.

4. A circular knitting machine according to claim 3, wherein the auxiliary station is provided with a plurality of yarn feeds, and means for selectively withdrawing and inserting such feeds during successive oscillations of the needle cylinder.

5. In a circular knitting machine, an oscillatable needle cylinder; a main knitting station with a pair of spaced stitch cams, plural yarn feeds and means for selectively inserting and withdrawing the feeds during successive os cillations; an auxiliary knitting station circumferentially spaced from the main station likewise with a pair of spaced stitch cams, plural yarn feeds and means for selectively inserting and withdrawing such feeds during successive oscillations; and means operative during an oscillation of the cylinder in one direction, to withdraw one of the auxiliary stitch cams; and means operative during an oscillation of the cylinder in the opposite direction, to retract the other auxiliary stitch cam.

6. A circular knitting machine according to claim 5, wherein the means for actuating the feeds at the auxiliary station includes a horizontally-arranged shaft with rotary cam drum thereon; and wherein the means for retracting the auxiliary stitch cams includes pivoted fingers with link-connections to the respective auxiliary stitch cams, cam projections on the drum for acting upon the respective fingers, and means for moving the fingers (iinto and out of the path of the cam projections on the rum.

7. In a circular knitting machine, an oscillatable needle cylinder; a main knitting station with a pair of spaced stitch cams, plural yarn feeds, and means for selectively inserting and withdrawing the feeds during successive oscillations; an auxiliary knitting station circumferentially spaced from the main station, likewise with a pair of spaced stitch cams, plural yarn feeds, and means for selectively inserting and withdrawing such feeds during successive oscillations, the latter means including a horizontally-arranged shaft with a rotary cam drum thereon, pivoted fingers with link connections to the respective auxiliary stitch cams, and cam projections on the drum for actuating the respective fingers; needle selecting means including intermittently rotated pattern drums adjacent opposite sides of the auxiliary station; and means controlled by the pattern drums for moving said fingers into and out of the path of the cam projections on the auxiliary yarn feed actuating drum.

8. In a circular knitting machine, an oscillatable needle cylinder; a main knitting station with a pair of spaced stitch cams, plural yarn feeds and means for selectively inserting and withdrawing the feeds during successive oscillations; an auxiliary knitting station circumferentially spaced from the main station likewise with a pair of spaced stitch cams, plural yarn feeds, and means for selectively inserting and withdrawing such feeds during successive oscillations, the latter means including a horizontally-arranged shaft with a rotary cam drum thereon, pivoted fingers with link connections to the respective auxiliary stitch cams, and cam projections on the drum for actuating the respective fingers; needle selecting means including intermittently-rotated needle-selecting pattern drurns adjacent opposite sides of the auxiliary station; and means controlled by the pattern drums for moving said fingers into and out of the path of the cam projections on the auxiliary yarn feed actuating drum, including medially fulcrumed levers connected with the fingers; vertically-arranged medially-pivoted arms each with one end engaging the corresponding pattern drum and with the other end engaging the opposite end of the corresponding lever.

9. A circular knitting machine according to claim 8, wherein the fingers are axially slidable on a fixed rod and urged toward the cam projections on the auxiliary feed control drum, and wherein the levers are respectively provided with adjustable screws for contact with the contiguous ends of the arms actuated by the pattern drums.

10. A circular knitting machine according to claim 7, provided with a timing drum; and further including lockout means actuated from the timing drum and operative upon one of the levers to prevent release of the corresponding finger during continuous rotation of the needle cylinder prior to and after patterning cycles by cylinder oscillation.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,178,911 Lawson Nov. 7, 1939 2,217,022 Lawson et al Oct. 8, 1940 2,252,564 Green et al. Aug. 12, 1941 2,525,704 Miller Oct. 10, 1950 

